Rose and the dancing detective
by silversurfer60
Summary: Rose has to put in an appearance at the Broadchurch local school dance as she is on the board of governors but is reluctant to go without a partner but then she meets her friend's new boss and after being roped into it, Alec Hardy reluctantly agrees to go with her but what happens afterwards was not what either of them bargained for. Set in the AU. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Rose did not want to go the dance, not really but she was expected to go as everyone else was going to the annual Broadchurch dance at the High School and she was after all on the school board of governors. Just five days to go, she had nothing to wear and no-one to go with - again, the same as last year. Last year she had an excuse, she was new in the town so she had got away with it, Ellie had said no-one thought anything of it but she had got chatted up several times, mostly by the same irritable excuse of a bloke Nigel and she wasn't that desperate even though she hadn't had a boyfriend since coming here almost two years ago.

Still, she could just make an appearance for an hour or so, chat to Ellie and her husband and also Beth and Mark so that would pass at least an hour, then she could sneak off again and no-one would be any wiser and no-one would miss her and at least she could honestly say she had been there and all would be well.

Just how she had been talked into the role of becoming a school governor, she couldn't recall but maybe it was because of her name - the famous Rose Tyler. Even in this quaint sleepy seaside town, or the back of beyond her mother had called it when Rose announced she had decided she wanted a change of pace from her office at Torchwood and had turned down other assignments to semi-retire and move down here to keep an eye of the south of England coastal town where several unusual reports had sifted their way through to her attention. After several attempts to persuade her step-father to fund and set her up here, she had finally convinced both him and her mother to let her go out on her own. She was over moping around after a certain Timelord who she was never going to see again. While she would never forget him, always love him, never give up hope that one day he would find a away but even if he did, what then? See his image on a beach in Norway again so she could break down and cry again? No, she was over that.

Was she really though? Why hadn't she actually been able to tell him how she felt until all that was in front of her had gone and she couldn't even tell him face to fave she loved him? She had only been able to tell his image through a tiny gap between universes. All the signs had been there, they had both been too stubborn to be the first to say something for fear of driving the other away. Would she have driven him away? Well because she was stupid enough not to say anything she would never find out, would she?

Her train of thought was interrupted as her phone rang. It was Ellie. "Watcha, Elllie, are we still on for lunch today?" She tried to sound cheerful for her friend whom Rose knew was breaking in a new boss today and was definitely not looking forward to it.

"Well yes and no, more like yes but I may have to either drag my new boss with me or come up with some pathetic excuse to get rid of him, your choice."

Rose stiffled a laugh. "Aw, you poor thing. New boss driving you crazy already and it's not even lunchtime yet? Just drag him along I don't mind. What's he like? Is he single, good-looking and not a creep?"

"Rose, you really don't want to know. I suppose he might be your cup of tea if you like tall, skinny and can't be bothered tidying himself up for work. I mean the man doesn't seem to own a razor, looks like he's not shaved for a few days. Oh and worst of all, he's Scottish, no-one can hardly understand a word he says. Got off to a great start by making a drink for himself while he was stood talking to me and never even asked if I wanted one," Ellie half laughed.

Rose really did feel sympathetic but he sounded intriguing. She wanted to learn more about him. "So, invite him for lunch and just don't tell him you're meeting someone. I'll see you at one then, usual place?"

"Oh, I give up with you Rose. You've turned down almost the entire single male population of the town and you're asking me to bring my new boss around so you can give him the once over? Thanks a lot! OK but try not to make it too obvious when you're sorely disappointed you made me bring him for nothing. If you don't like him, you buy me my lunch for wasting my time bringing him and making me put up with him when I could have ditched him for an hour and got some peace."

Rose just laughed told her she had a deal and said goodbye. She finished reading an article she had been sent by Jake and went to get changed to go out. She liked working from home, no dress code and come and go as you like and most of all, no work load and no more commuting to the office. Her spare bedroom was her office and you couldn't beat the view if you tried, her two bedroom cottage was almost on the beach. The cottage her dad had rented for her, all expenses paid in return for her input on weekly reports and articles she was sent to read plus her still generous salary but most of all her freedom. Away from the mother and young brother she loved dearly but her mother was smothering her with kindness, with constantly reminding her of her old life, back on the other world oh so long ago now. She missed her brother though, too much. She had grown up on her own, often wishing her mother would have remarried and that she could have a younger brother or sister but after all this time it had finally happened.

She had gone back home though for the Christmas holidays, Mickey up to his old tricks of trying to win her back, she wasn't mad at him though, he was probably just trying to cheer her up, make her feel at home, he had been there longer than she had but she wasn't interested in picking up where they had left off, not now. How could she go back to him after what she had felt for The Doctor?

She set off to meet Ellie, hoping she would have her new boss in tow and walked into the harbour cafe` and saw Ellie sitting with a tall man, his back to Rose and Rose smiled to herself and walked across the cafe` floor. Ellie looked up, pretending to be surprised to see her, stringing her boss along with a 'let's go grab some lunch and I'll tell you about the town oh and by the way, my friend is coming to meet us so she can look you over' and Rose went to sit beside her when they had both said 'hi' and Ellie had introduced her new boss - Alec Hardy.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

"So, Rose, this is Detective Inspector Alec Hardy," pointing to who Rose was at a loss for words as she looked at him, all tall, dark and sexy. Ellie continued, pointing to Rose, "This is my friend, Rose Tyler."

Alec Hardy extended his hand to shake hers and Rose swore her mouth was agape staring at him. Where had he been hiding? Why hadn't she met him before? Then she remembered that he was from out of town so that answered those questions she supposed. She managed to find her voice and suspected Ellie was going to be sour because she was going to have to pay for her own lunch and she probably knew it by now by the look on Rose's face as Rose managed a "Nice to meet you Alec" while managing not to go saying something completely idiotic like 'Ellie told me all about you' which she hadn't actually since she had withheld vital information from her such as he was tall, fit and very sexy and she wanted to pounce on him like an animal. It was now showing very plainly to Rose that she had not had boyfriend in far too long. Maybe she was making too much out of it. He might not be interested in her or might be married or have a girlfriend already but looking on the bright side was one of her best traits.

When he spoke, it reminded her of when they had been in Scotland, her and The Doctor and he'd put on that accent for Queen Victoria in fact it not only reminded her, it could have been him so easily, the way he spoke. Rose snapped out of it as he said, "Nice to meet you Rose Tyler. Are you related to Peter Tyler by any chance?" Seeing her reaction answered his question. "Yes, I can see you are. I met him a few years ago, just remarried and had a young son, mentioned he'd adopted his new wife's daughter but I never realised..." He Stopped. Both Rose and Ellie looked at him. He changed the subject. "So are we going to order or sit talking about old times for an hour?" Rose could now see why Ellie had got so worked up about him earlier.

He had been going to say never realised she was blonde, single and stunning but had thought better of it, not wanting to insult his new DS's friend and get on an even worse side of her. He supposed he should just be polite for now and not risk more of Miller's wrath after she was obviously really put out earlier as he made a cup of tea and didn't offer to make her one. Well why should he, he was her boss.

Rose got everyone's orders and went to the counter, Ellie slipping Rose some money under the table but Hardy got up and joined Rose at the counter saying he would pay for his own. They chatted over lunch and Ellie brought up a raw subject with Rose, the dreaded dance on Saturday night. Rose was more interested when and where the detective had met her step father and more importantly, why had she not known about it. Pete like to keep her up to date with things but not always a meeting with the Police. Pete Tyler played golf with lots of officials, Police included but Alec Hardy did not look like he played golf.

Ellie repeated the question Rose had obviously not heard the first time around. "Rose, I asked if you were going to the dance on Saturday night?"

"Oh, sorry Ellie, I was miles away. I suppose so but it's not fun on your own or getting chatted up by the local creeps all night and I swear if that Nigel asks me to dance I'm going to throw up." Rose replied, getting back to the real world.

Hardy looked up from picking over the remains of his meal. "So, what dance is that then? Hope I'm not expected to attend. I don't go dancing, not anymore anyway. So who is this Nigel then?"

Ellie looked over to Rose. "Nigel's not a 'creep' he's just grossly misunderstood. You have too high a standard Rose, that's your problem," she laughed. Then she looked at her boss. "I think it would be an excellent idea for you to attend. Give you the chance to meet people and for them to get used to you being around. Trouble is, all tickets are sold out way in advance so you'll have to go in an offical capacity." She was smirking by this time, thinking it would be rather fun to see the detective squirm at the local dance.

Rose saw her opportunity to nab the detective and see if he could be conned into having a date with her. He just might be worth a try. "Oh, that's ok, I've got a spare ticket, they always give me two, you can have one if you want. Ellie's right, you should get to know people around here. I can leave one at the door for you, you don't have to talk to me or anything, well actually, you can have the ticket in return for a favour."

Alec was intrigued as to why Peter Tyler's step-daughter was going to a dance alone, not knowing this would be the second time she had done so. "So, what's this favour then? I don't have to dance with you all night do I?" He saw the look on her face and changed his tune. "Not that I'd object to doing so if that's the requirement but I'm not very good and dancing, not these modern dances anyway."

Rose tried not to feel insulted as to why he would object to dancing with her all night. "Well, not all night, just if that creep Nigel asks me to dance, that you agree to be my date for the evening? We could just sit at the same table, have a few dances to give him the idea, that's all." Rose was enjoying this and it was clear Ellie was also amused. "So, like Ellie said, it's that or go as a detective nosing around the local dance, show your badge to get in and they might take it the wrong way, I could leave you a ticket at the door and meet you inside."

Both Ellie and Rose were ganging up on him and he knew it. "Just how exactly do you have two tickets anyway? He asked. "Were you going to go alone?" This was unbelievable, Rose Tyler, no date to the local dance and being so desperate she was asking him. "Why not, ok then but only because I don't know anyone here and I don't want to show my badge to get it but it's not a date or anything so wipe that smirk off your face Miller."

Both Rose and Ellie were both thinking the same thing - that's what he thinks.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Ellie got up to leave and asked Hardy if he was going back to his office. "I'll be there shortly," he replied.

Rose was also about to leave but he had some questions for her and she for him that clearly were not going to wait until Saturday.

Hardy was the first to speak as they walked outside. "So why have you got two tickets, no boyfriend to go with and you're asking a complete stranger to go with you all for the sake of giving one of the locals the impression you have a date for the night."

Rose didn't feel like answering him but she should explain since he had initially agreed to go with her. "I get free tickets, I'm a school governor and no, I don't have a boyfriend at he moment, left him behind in London, well rather he left me behind, he went off to travel the world when I wanted to settle down, you know how it is. He wasn't as serious as I was I guess. As for keeping the locals at bay, well one local, he really is a creep, he's just not my type, he's shaved his hair off, talks like a kid and he gives me the creeps. Last year, I was dancing with my friend Beth when he tried to cut in to dance with me and I almost decked him." She could see the detective was finding this amusing.

"Well, I suppose I could help you out just this once. I don't see any harm in it. You have any questions for me? Such as how I know your step father?"

"Lucky guess," Rose thought. He continued. "Met him at a conference in Glasgow, a top secret conference with only senior local Police officers present, including me. He had vital information for us he wanted to share." Rose knew what that was, how the Cybermen had managed to disappear off the face of the earth suddenly after they had all been locked up. She vaguely remembered Pete going away for a few days but he never said where he was.

"So at this conference, he just happened to mention he had remarried and had a young son and a step-daughter did he?" Rose was curious. Pete didn't often talk about his new family to strangers. Even when he'd had a few drinks, he was well trained to not divulge any information.

"We were talking on the first night, there was just the two of us in the bar, I was telling him about my daughter, how I'd lost her when my wife left me for another man, another DS and he was really sympathetic." He looked at her, she could have easily been Peter Tyler's real daughter but he knew the man had lost his first wife to those metal menaces all that time ago and they had no children.

Rose felt sorry for the detective and there she was, conning him into taking her to the dance to get rid of Nigel. She felt guilty now but it might actually cheer him up and he might enjoy himself. She could live with the fact he had a daughter but was he still married or did he get a divorce? He must be at least separated or he wouldn't be here, he'd be back in Glasgow trying to get his wife back.

Alec decided he had told this woman enough for now. "Right, best be off, work to do and criminals to catch. It was nice meeting you Rose and it would be my pleasure to escort you to the dance on Saturday night, as a repayment for your step father being really understanding of the situation I had found myself in. Leave the ticket at the door, no point in you standing outside waiting for me. I'll get the address and time from Miller."

They said goodbye and Rose couldn't believe that she actually had a date for the dance. She would tell that Nigel to shove off in no uncertain terms if he tried to approach her. The problem was though that she always got there early because it was expected of her to be there when people arrived. She could talk to people before Alec Hardy arrived so she would be in less danger of being cornered.

ooooooooo{silversurfer60}ooooooooo

Ellie was waiting for Hardy when he got back and followed him into his office, closing the door. She was testing the waters with her new boss but there was no way she was going to let him anywhere near Rose if he was going to mess her around, absolutely no way and she was going to tell him.

"So, did you make the arrangements then?" she asked as she pulled a chair.

Hardy looked up from the screen he had absent-mindedly turned on when he'd sat down, hoping Miller would go away. Ellie was waiting for an answer before she tackled him.

"I said I'd meet her there so you best give me the time and place and directions to get there plus, I want to requisition a car for my own use, I'm tired of being driven around everywhere. Well don't just sit there, get on it, I want a car waiting by the end of the day."

Ellie just shook her head at him and got up. "Don't let her down because if you hurt her, boss or no boss, you'll know about it. I look out for her, she has no-one else here." She wasn't sure about this, she personally couldn't put up with the man for a few hours let alone having him take her friend to the dance.

Hardy just nodded slightly to say he got it then asked hopefully, "Do you have a telephone number for her then?"

"I'm not giving you it without her permission. I'll ask her when I next speak to her." With that, she went to arrange a car for him and hoped he'd wrap it around the nearest lamp post so he still had to be driven around but she wasn't that vengeful as to adding only if he walked away from it.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Rose had gone home, thinking she should at least mention this to her step dad and ask him if he remembered Alec Hardy. Pete assured her he did indeed remember him.

"That's quite a coincidence really, that he should end up in Broadchurch, he seemed fine staying in Glasgow. Did he say what he was doing there?" Pete asked.

"Winding up poor Ellie, he's her new boss and she thinks he's a pain in the backside. Seriously though, I don't know why he's here but I'm going to find out. It's the local dance on Saturday night and he's my sort of date."

"What? You've actually got a date this year," Pete laughed. "Wait until I tell your mother, she'll start making wedding plans for you."

"Don't you dare tell her yet. It's not actually a date sort of date, I offered him my extra ticket in return for him keeping the local creep from trying to get me to dance with him again, I got fed up with fighting him off last year and I wasn't going to go but Alec Hardy accepted the ticket in exchange for pretending he's my date for this creep's benefit."

Pete was still amused by this. "Well, he seemed a decent bloke when I met him. He'd just found out his wife was having an affair with another work colleague and she had left and taken their daughter with her, poor man was devastated and there he was, at a conference discussing Cybermen. I felt really sorry for him."

After giving her love to everyone, she said goodbye and would let him know if the not a date went successfully or not. Now she knew that Alec Hardy must have got divorced but what had prompted his wife to have an affair? Was he insufferable? Ellie thought so. Was he a workaholic, was he never at home? What was she letting herself in for? He seemed nice, he was very good looking in a scruffy manly sort of way but there was a significant reason she had dared to offer him a ticket to the dance, he looked like someone she used to love - a lot. She was not going to let that get in her way though, she needed a break from thinking like that which was why she had got away from London and moved here. She had told everyone, including Ellie that she was doing work for her step-father but would that fool Alec Hardy? Did it have to?

Ellie called her the next day, saying her boss wanted her phone number so Rose said she supposed it was ok. He never rang though, all week she had expected a possible excuse for not going on Saturday night but it never came, not even a 'can I pick you up' from him so what had been the purpose of getting her number? To add to his collection? Thinking no more about it other than hoping he was going to turn up so she could show him off this time, that she was not going to turn up without a date again this year.

Saturday morning, Rose decided she would buy a new dress for the occasion, now she had someone to impress and went to her favourite dress shop up in the town. The assistants all knew her, she like to spend money and they knew her by name.

"Good morning Miss Tyler, are you looking for anything in particular today?" the youngest assistant asked as she was browsing the rails.

"Oh, good morning, yeah, something for the school dance tonight, nothing too fancy."

"Oh I'm going as well, persuaded my new boyfriend to take me. Are you going with anyone?"

Rose wasn't sure to say yes and who with, since he was new in town and hardly anyone knew of him except maybe the town Police force had a new DI. "Yes, actually, I'm meeting someone there but he's not my boyfriend, just someone I know." She picked up a blue knee length dress and held it in front of herself, eying the mirror image staring back at her. Then she picked up a black one and went to try them on, asking for an opinion. She chose the blue one, low v-neck but not too low, just enough.

She decided to get a taxi rather than drive, the car park got a little crazy and if she left early she would only have trouble getting her car out and there was no way she was going to damage it. As usual, she was early and had to wait for someone to arrive to leave the ticket with.

"Hi, Sarah," she greeted the school secretary who was on the door along with one of the teachers. "I want to leave this ticket for someone. His name is Alec Hardy, the new town DI."

The woman looked surprised, both that Rose had actually got a date and who it was. "Oh, I heard about him, he's from out of town. He's your date for tonight?"

"He's not my 'date' he just wanted to get to know people since he's just arrived in town and I had a spare ticket. He didn't want to come in an official capacity." She was getting tired of denying he was her date since when the dance got going, she was going to be sitting and dancing with him. Maybe no-one except Nigel would take notice. Little did she know that was not going to happen. One by one people began arriving, sitting in groups of three or four. Ellie and Beth were sat with their husband's and Rose went to talk to them. Ellie took her on one side and said she hoped Hardy was going to turn up and she had warned him not to upset her. Rose couldn't believe Ellie would dare challenge her new boss because of it.

She had just left them, on her way to see if Hardy had turned up, watching the door from the school hall. She heard someone behind her and turned, thinking he had got in without her seeing him. It wasn't him, it was her worst nightmare. He just didn't get it, wouldn't take no for an answer.

"So, Rose, you gonna dance with me tonight then? Nigel asked with a goofy smile.

Rose just wished the floor would swallow her. "I don't think so Nigel, I'm waiting for someone, my date."

"You got a date? I don't see you with anyone. You could dance with me while you're waiting?"

He stepped a little closer and Rose was tempted to smack him in the gob but Ellie would have to arrest her if she did. Instead, she turned away. Nigel grabbed her arm and she pulled it free and was about to turn back to really slap him when she saw Alec at the desk.

"Get off Nigel, my date is here, DI Alec Hardy." Alec walked towards them and Rose stepped forward to meet him, put her arms around him and kissed his cheek and said, "Hi darling, you're late but I'll forgive you if you come and dance with me right now."

Nigel just stared and Alec tried not to looked too dazed as she led him to the dance floor, every pair of eyes in the room on them as she whispered to him, her arms still wrapped around his neck and said, "Thanks for coming and for playing along." She held him tighter and Alec Hardy never stood a chance.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

They had two dances before Rose finally let him go. Not that he seemed to mind considering he had not been dancing for quite a while. Dancing with this Rose Tyler didn't seem too bad, perhaps accepting her offer of a ticket in exchange for defending her against the man he had seen when he walked in hadn't been such a bad idea, he would have gladly rescued any woman from that fate but this blonde was different. She was classy, very classy, she was rich and she was way out of his league but he was doing what he had been advised to do, mingle with the locals but he wasn't quite 'mingling', he was being shown off as Rose Tyler's date. Everyone in the room knew who she was, they had to, the way every pair of eyes were on them as they moved to two reasonably slow tunes, he was just glad they weren't fast ones.

He had been quite bemused that she had offered him a ticket in the first place, she and Miller had ganged up on him and at first he had been dead set against going but they had been right, if he was going to be here for a while, he may as well settle in although settling in meant he had accepted the fate he had been handed, or was it punishment for what had happened? Being sent to a small town after being on a big city force seemed like punishment but that was what you got for taking the wrap on something you didn't do.

As Rose hung onto his neck though, it didn't seem too bad. She was wearing an amazing dress that complimented her figure and her perfume was quite alluring and she was paying a lot of attention to him. He looked down at her every now and then, when he wasn't looking at everybody looking at them. She knew how to get attention herself. He knew very little about Peter Tyler but knew this woman couldn't possibly be interested in him, a Police detective when she could have anyone in her own class of society.

He had not been happy about the lecture from Miller but knew enough about his new DS to know she meant business. Even up until an hour ago he hadn't been sure whether to turn up but Rose Tyler had impressed him the other day and he did feel a tiny bit sorry for her if she didn't have a date.

After the second dance, they made their way off the floor, he could see this Nigel skulking in a corner, watching them as they walked past where Miller was sitting, calling after her friend, inviting her to sit with them but she declined and still holding onto his hand, they made their way to a table at the back that had just two chairs and he asked what she wanted to drink. She said she wanted a white wine spritzer so joining the queue at the bar, he had one eye on where she was sitting and the other on the crowd of people in the room, making sure this Nigel came nowhere near her or he wouldn't be doing his job of warding him off. He was just about to be served when he saw the other man near their table, Rose was looking in her purse for something, probably trying to ignore the approaching man and he just hoped he would get back their to avert Rose having to fend him off again.

Paying for the drinks, he was just in time to see Nigel about to sit opposite Rose but on his approach, the other man did a u-turn away and just looked blankly at him, a goofy grin on his face. Rose didn't seem bothered, she was probably relying on him to rescue her again which he would gladly do if it got him another kiss on the cheek or maybe she would get even more grateful later on after a few more drinks. He was only drinking non-alcoholic beer, doctor's orders until he was completely recovered but he could have the odd whiskey if he felt the urge but since he was driving and he might get lucky and take her home afterwards, he needed a clear head. He would buy her drinks all night though if she wanted, what were the chances of meeting her, here in Broadchurch? He would have to keep in mind who's step-daughter she was to avoid the wrath of Peter Tyler if he chased her and then broke her heart and even hiding here wouldn't get him off the hook.

He put the drinks down and Rose said "Thanks Alec and thanks for earlier and just now. Honestly, he doesn't know when to quit. So, you know who I am, what about you? Tell me about yourself. How did you end up here?"

So he told her the circumstances that had brought him to the town, omitting certain parts he didn't want anyone to overhear. Rose wanted to dance again, he hoped he could keep up the pace. This one was a bit faster and he was grateful he'd gone for the operation otherwise she would be picking him up off the floor. It was the operation or be invalided out on a pension and be bored out of his skull and maybe have six months to a year to live and he'd lost enough after his messy and painful divorce and wasn't about to fully give in. When he'd gone in for it, he wouldn't have known about if he didn't come out but something had made him survive and maybe now it was all worthwhile to be here, dancing with the Vitex heiress.

She was clinging onto him again, another slow song, a Diana Ross song, Rose was leaning on his shoulder as he put an arm around her and she moved closer. A younger man in his twenties, carrying a camera came up and asked them if he could take their photo. Rose said he could take one of her but didn't want Alec to be in it, she explained the young man was from the local paper and she didn't want his name associated with hers, it would put undue pressure on him so Alec agreed and stepped back, then they resumed dancing. She was right, if this didn't work out, it would get messy.

Another drink later they were back dancing again, considering he hadn't wanted to dance in the first place they had hardly been off the floor all night. He tried to get her to sit down and have another drink but she wanted to keep dancing. He asked if she was driving home.

"No, I got a taxi here. Why, are you offering to take me home? If you are, the answer is yes but you don't have to get me drunk to ask me if you can give me a ride home. You are a Policeman after all." She took another sip of her drink, very sexily he thought.

That wasn't the only thing going through his mind, taking her home and being invited inside amongst them and maybe some snogging, what exactly was snogging? He had never indulged in snogging, heavy kissing and petting yes but snogging? Maybe Rose could teach him but heavy petting was definitely up there at the top of the list, after learning to snog and maybe some tonguing.

"How about one more dance Alec, then you can take me home, it will be all finishing soon anyway and you won't get your car out," she said, finishing her drink and licking her tongue around her lips.

He couldn't help but stare at her. "I parked the car somewhere I can get out, I've got a Police sign in it" he said smuggly.

Rose smiled, got up and grabbed his hand and dragged him back for a last dance or 'the last waltz' more like as they danced cheek to cheek. Alec had enjoyed this more than he could have imagined and if he got to take her home, he could make his move on her, better her than the local hotel owner where he was staying who had been trying to chat him up. Rose Tyler was indeed classy, a notch up from hotel owners, well several notches up really.

Little did either of them know that the local reporter had ignored Rose's remark about keeping the detective out of the picture when he had seen them dance closely and when Alec's hand was almost on her bottom had taken a photo of the two of them as Alec's other hand was on her back and he looked like he was just about to kiss her as they looked at each other.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Rose was hoping as she looked up at him that he was going to kiss her, right here at the dance in front of everyone. She had been showing him off all night, making sure everyone saw them dancing together, especially Nigel who she had made a point of making him see her holding Alec's hand at every opportunity and the odd kiss on the cheek at the end of nearly every dance and she had done the right thing keeping Alec out of the local newspaper, it could lead to it reaching the nationals and she did not want her mother to see the two of them together. He didn't though, he just kissed her cheek and asked if he could take her home. She now hoped he would do a lot more than take her home as she fully intended to invite him in and see what his snogging skills were like.

Rose had never kissed a man with a beard before and hoped it was a soft beard, not a prickly one but his lips looked so inviting and she wouldn't have minded him kissing her in front of the entire crowd. Her original plan of using him to fend off Nigel had backfired on her, she found him very attractive and he was very attentive to her and wanted to be seen with her and now where his hands were, she was definitely attracted to him and he seemed to like her, enough to take her home. Everyone was starting to leave, Ellie caught her shoulder as they were finishing their last dance and whispered "good luck" in her ear. They walked outside to Alec's car, it was still quite warm which she was glad of as they walked across the school car park to a black SUV type car and sure enough there was an official Police sign on the dashboard which she had to smile at.

She directed him down towards the harbour, pulling in behind her car in front of the short row of cottages and she asked him in, which he was not going to turn down as no man in his right mind would turn down an invitation like that. Rose opened her door and pulled him inside. It was not very often she had invited anyone back apart from Ellie and Beth and had them round for dinner. The door had barely closed when Alec made his move and soon discovered he had snogging skills he didn't know he possessed. As they stood in the entryway, he tried to steer Rose towards the sofa and soon tipped her over the edge, falling on top of her and fumbling for the zip of her dress while Rose helped him get his jacket off and undid his shirt buttons as he pulled her dress down over her shoulders kissing them as he did, then kissing her neck pulling the dress down, revealing her black underwear.

His shirt was soon off and Rose was fumbling for the zip of his trousers but he stopped her and whispering he didn't want to do this on the sofa and asked where her bedroom was. They gathered their clothes, Alec went to lock the door and then chased her up the stairs, Rose giggling as he grabbed her bum as she ran up the stairs. Not that long ago he had not been able to hardly walk let alone chase a beautiful, sexy young blonde up to her bedroom and have sex with her, it would have probably half killed him. They stopped at the top of the stairs, kissing, his tongue sliding into her mouth. He picked her up and carried her to the bed, Rose went to unzip his trousers again and this time he didn't stop her as they fell onto the bed.

He soon had her bra off, he may not have had a beautiful woman in his bed or any other bed recently but he hadn't forgotten how to unhook a bra with one hand while pulling down her panties with the other. Rose didn't waste any time pulling down Alec's shorts either, it had been a long time since she had been with a man and now she was desperate for him not to mess around. He scrambled to pull back the bed covers as Rose pulled his shorts off and he fell into bed after her, landing on top of her as she grabbed his bum and pulled him closer, kissing him passionately.

Alec just had time to whisper the word "protection" to which Rose replied, "Got that covered" before he leaned down to kiss her breasts and Rose took a bite out of his neck, smiling at the red mark she had made, claiming him for herself. Alec responded by biting her breast, claiming her but Rose moved her neck, indicating she wanted his mark to be seen so he duly reciprocated the action and bit her neck. Rose whispered "Enough of the playing, Alec, I want you right now, please."

She sounded desperate to Alec and he was only too happy to oblige as he placed his hand on her intimate area, letting her guide him to where she wanted him as he moved his fingers on her folds, watching her face light up with pleasure as he moved them deeper inside her, Rose was moaning softly she wanted more then as she gasped for breath, she managed to say, "Now Alec, I need you now." That was all he needed, he just had to trust she did indeed take her own precautions because the last thing he wanted was to stop and get his own protection from his wallet and if this didn't work out with her, he did not want an angry Peter Tyler on his ass for getting his step-daughter pregnant.

Alec soon picked up the rhythm against her hips as he pounded into her, thrusting deeper inside her as she called his name. Rose was enjoying every second of it as she felt him inside her, going deeper and deeper as she dug her fingers into his bum, urging him to move faster, telling him she wanted him to go further until he brought her to the very edge of her climax as he called for to come for him, urging her to reach her climax.

"Rose, let go, come for me, I want to see you," he whispered as he moved his head, never stopping, pushing harder and harder against her until she let out a stifled scream into his shoulder and Alec knew she had reached it as he did the same, pleased with himself as he fell on top of her.

Rose looked up at him and smiled, she felt better than she had for a long time and cursed herself for leaving it so long and Alec had more than satisfied her needs but now it was over, she found herself wanting more than a one night stand with this amazing man and hoped he felt the same.


	7. Chapter 7

Alec moved over onto his back and lay there, regaining his breath. He had to tell her about his pacemaker at some point, he couldn't do this again, not tonight anyway and she might be bitterly disappointed with him if he didn't explain why. Best to tell her what to expect if she wanted to do this again, he certainly knew he wanted to. If she wanted more then she was going to have to do all the hard work next time but perhaps tonight was all she wanted, just a one night stand but by the look on her face, he knew she wouldn't be able to stop after just one night, he had excelled himself tonight.

It had been the first time for him after his operation and although his doctor had told him to take it easy at first, there had only really been one way of finding out if he could have sex again and that was to find a woman he really wanted to try with and he had found her. She had been amazing and he told her so.

"You were amazing too Alec, it's been a while since I found someone I wanted to go to bed with. I don't usually have sex on a first date but I was willing to make an exception for you." Rose noticed the small scar over Alec's heart and looked concerned.

He didn't have to worry about bringing up the subject after all as he told her it was ok, he had survived a pacemaker operation and this was his first time since having it that he had tested just how well it worked.

"You mean it could have killed you, just having sex?"

Alec had moved onto his side, tracing his finger around the nipple of her right breast as Rose was almost touching his scar. "It's ok, really, I promise I won't collapse on you. It just means I have to go easy for a while so if you want to have sex again tonight then you are going to have to do all the hard work," he smiled.

That was all the encouragement Rose needed as she pushed him onto his back and straddled him, leaning down and kissing him and then gently rocking on him until he felt the urge. He pulled her down until their hips touched and Rose began to move on him. "Be careful what you wish for, Detective Inspector Hardy" she laughed and began to lay on him in just the right place, aligning her hips with his as she rocked gently backwards and forwards.

Exhausted, they both got comfy until Rose excused herself to go to the bathroom and clean herself up but when she had climbed off him and got out of bed he thought she was going to tell him to get out. She didn't, she just silently put on a robe and some clean knickers and when she came back, he was sat on the edge of the bed with his shorts on, pulling his shirt on.

"You're not leaving are you?" She looked disappointedly at him. He took the hint and forgot about putting his shirt on, throwing it back on the chair. Rose smiled at him. "That's what I thought. Alec, I didn't get up to give you an excuse to leave, I just needed to freshen up, I got a bit too excited, it wasn't a hint for you to be gone when I came back." She took her robe off and stood directly in front of him and putting her hands on his shoulders, pushed him back onto the bed as he took hold of her waist.

He pulled her with him and covered them both with the bed sheets and then kissed her senseless. By the time their lips parted, Rose's felt slightly swollen but it was well worth it. Alec just managed to say "I didn't know what you expected Rose, I was just being prepared to be kicked out. Nearly every time I'm invited to a woman's bedroom, I get kicked out, sometimes before something has actually happened and definitely just afterwards. None of them seem to want me to stay after the event. What do you want Rose, was this just a one-time sexual encounter or do you want more?"

Rose smiled at him. "Did this feel like a one-time encounter Alec? Is that what you wanted or did you expect more?"

He didn't usually have a choice, it was always 'thanks for the sex now get out' from the few women who had actually been interested in more than a quick romp and that was before he had got really ill, after it became plain to him he was so seriously ill and he would die if he didn't do something about it. It had taken a lot of courage and a really big gamble to go ahead and have his operation, he had been on medical leave for almost four months in total, a month to calm him down after his superiors told him it was the operation or a pension, then three more months to recuperate and ask for re-instatement and wait to be re-assigned after his doctor advised a change of pace. Besides that, he didn't want to be in the same city as his ex, she had caused most of his illness in the first place. Now here was Rose Tyler, asking him to tell her what he wanted. Did he want more – of her? He would be completely mad if he said he'd only wanted the one night and he more than wanted to have the chance to see her again.

"Oh, what I wanted was everything you just gave me and as for expecting more, well I do want more, if you do?"

Rose got herself comfy on him again, sprawling herself over him, her head leaning into his neck, nipping and making tiny marks on it. He was so going to have trouble covering them up on Monday. She whispered, "I do want more Alec, you're fantastic, to say you were at death's door and now I know that, we can go easy for a while, I don't want to cause you to have a relapse."

"So, you want to see me again do you? Are you sure you want to be seen with an older man? A divorced one at that, because I was married you know, I have a teenage daughter by my previous marriage who just about talks to me and you are a lot younger than me and famous. Look at earlier, when you wanted to keep me out of that photo, do you want to keep protecting me from your famous life? I'm a nobody Rose, you are way out of my class."

Rose looked up at him. "Don't say that Alec, of course you're somebody and I do want to be seen with you. It was different earlier, I didn't know if you were going to say goodbye after the dance and I would never see you again so naturally I wanted to keep your name out of things if you just turned up to escort me to the dance. Now I know you want to see me again, it's different and you are a respectable divorced Police detective with nothing to hide and you are so in my class, don't ever think you're not. Age makes no difference to me, you should see the age gap between me and my last boyfriend." Well technically The Doctor wasn't her 'boyfriend' exactly but they were as close a couple as they could get without getting down to the nitty gritty of having sex.

He looked at her and smiled. "Well in that case, you do know what you're letting yourself in for with me but there are still some things that I need to tell you but I can get to that another time, there's no rush. We can talk about them over breakfast, I promise I won't sneak out while you're asleep and if you don't believe me, just lay yourself back over me so I can't escape and are you going to keep those knickers on all night?" He moved his free hand to start to pull them down, Rose assisting him then they pulled his shorts down.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Rose woke up the following morning, she had moved slightly but Alec was still almost underneath her, he was warm and breathing steadily and she debated whether to disturb him or not. She could get used to this, waking up with him lying under her, their bodies close together. She gently moved her hand onto his chest, feeling his heart beat and wondered what it had been like for him to be so ill that he never knew if the next beat of his heart was going to be the last. She had felt horrified when he had told her, her step-dad had told her nothing of Alec's condition unless it hadn't developed until after the two men had met and then, would Alec have told Pete? He had told him about his divorce so maybe he would have confided in him but some things people just didn't want to talk about or maybe Pete didn't think Rose really needed to know, she had told him only that Alec was her date to the dance, not that she was going to sleep with him afterwards, not that she would tell him of such things anyway.

Alec moved slightly and she withdrew her hand quickly but he caught hold of it, placing it back and holding onto her hand. He didn't say anything, they just both lay there, neither wanting to spoil the tender moment. Rose felt so sorry for him, what he must have gone through and she should have mentioned she knew about his divorce but better to let him tell her really. She had never got the chance to tell her Doctor how she felt, to lie with him and feel both his hearts beating and here was Alec, one heart that had almost stopped beating and to make things even worse, he'd had no-one to take care of him. Well not any more, she cared about him, not because they were thrown together at a dance so she could show everyone she was capable of getting a date that wasn't on the top of the rich list, just an ordinary everyday detective who knew almost no-one in the town but because that was what she did, according to The Doctor, she made people better and not just one's that were scarred or defeated, one's with physical ailments too.

"Rose, don't be scared for me, I just want to be treated normally again, not like I'm about to break. I've had to go easy for a long time but now, I want to start living again, a fresh start and well, you can help me if you like?" He felt Rose nodding and freed his other arm from under her and pulled her closer. "Just tell me if I'm getting too possessive and I'll back off but I would like to get to know you better, if you'd like to that is, just remember, I'm not used to having a relationship with such a beautiful woman so you may have to give me a few pointers if I seem a little rusty." He couldn't see her face but he knew she was smiling.

She looked up and she did smile. "Don't worry, I'm a little rusty at this too, I've not been in relationship for a long time either. We can rediscover what it's like together and as for you being over-possessive, I don't think I would go as far as to say there is no such thing but we might both want our own little private moments and you'll know when I want to have mine. Now snog the life out of me then I'll go get us some breakfast." Alec did as she asked, smiling to himself he had got the hang of this so easily when he didn't think he would know exactly what to do.

After breakfast, Alec called at his hotel for a change of clothes while Rose waited in the car park for him, not wanting to start any more undue gossip by waiting for him inside and risk being quizzed, they still had things to talk about before they made another public appearance together. They drove up the coast where neither of them were known, across the counties into Devon and stopped at a small seaside town for some lunch, where Rose discovered they had an old fashioned tramway and persuaded a reluctant Alec to take a ride on it although there was not enough room for him inside with him being tall so they had to sit upstairs, then they took a walk around the small village and ended up having tea at the tram station before what Alec described as a tortuous ride back but put up with it for Rose's sake and couldn't get off fast enough, Rose was laughing as he stretched his legs when they finally got off. He had griped at paying for the car park and put his Police sign on the dashboard and surprisingly had got away with it so he was determined to make the most of it everywhere he went from now on.

Driving back to Broadchurch, they got caught in a traffic jam, Rose turned up the radio and sang along to some tunes which made Alec smile when she knew all the words and people behind them were staring at her as she moved in her seat to the words she was singing. He wondered if he was going to be able to keep up with her, his ex had been around his own age when they had met sixteen years ago but she did not have the vitality Rose had and certainly not the figure and a youthfulness about her that Rose did. He didn't remember his ex sitting in a car and making people stare or have anyone stare at her they way they did at Rose. He just hoped that she wouldn't get tired of having to slow her pace for him to keep up with her or wouldn't get tired of having an older man in tow. She was smiling at him as the car edged it's way forward, she put her hand on his knee and he smiled back, she certainly didn't make him feel his age now, he felt sixteen years younger.

He knew this wasn't going to easy, she had admitted how old she was, there was a big age gap but she had assured him she really didn't care if he was older, she had said her step-dad was older than her mother, one of her ex's was older and one was even older than he was, though he doubted it, she was probably just trying to make him feel better about it but if Rose didn't care, than neither should he, she would be good for him, make him feel young again. He wasn't exactly on the books of every dating agency around the area and had become aware of just how lonely he was last night when Rose had made him feel wanted again. He needed to be wanted again and Rose had needed him because although she talked about ex-boyfriends, she had admitted it had been a while since she had one and Rose Tyler could have any man in the country but she had chosen him and who was he to argue with her?

The traffic finally cleared up, when they got moving again they could see no reason for the hold-up in the first place and if he had been on his own he would have put the flashing blue lights and siren on his Police vehicle but Rose wouldn't let him. The first sign of a relationship, he'd thought as he had waited not so patiently in the queue and he had not wanted his first argument with her so soon after their first date as to scare her away or to use his authority to get ahead of the traffic, he had only just got away without paying for parking and didn't want to overdo it.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

The rest of the journey was filled with them talking about each other's pasts and Alec told her what had happened to cause his illness in the first place and when they had reached her house, Rose having told him of her humble upbringing but leaving out where she had come from, they lay on the sofa just kissing until it turned into them losing one item of clothing after another until they were just in their underwear. They were both giggling as Rose tried to coax him out of his shorts, Alec insistent they both kept one item of clothing on and him pretending he couldn't decide which one Rose should keep on but the bra came off after she gave him several hints it was not going to be her knickers and had tapped his hand several times.

The marks on their necks were becoming more prominent and Alec knew he was doomed as soon as Miller saw him the next day even with a collar and tie, he thought Rose had done this on purpose after she had explained to him about her bet with Ellie last Monday and that Ellie had lost. After finally getting his clothes back, he went out up into the town to get a takeaway and he had called for a bottle of wine on the way back. Over their evening meal, Rose asked him about his daughter and asked if he ever got to see her.

"I get to see her twice a year, Christmas and her birthday but now I'm down here and I missed her birthday while I was in hospital, her mother wouldn't let her visit and being here means a long trip back to Scotland at Christmas, something I'll have to do if I want to see her but once she's turned sixteen then she'll be able to make her own mind up and maybe she'll want to see me more often."

"What's her name?" asked Rose as he poured some more wine.

"Her name's Daisy and before you say anything Miss Tyler, I don't have a 'thing' for women with flowers in their names." He could see she was going to say something but instead she just smiled.

"I was going to say it was a good choice for a name. You should go see her at Christmas but why wasn't she allowed to see you in hospital? Was it that bad a divorce that you couldn't see her after you came out?" She couldn't believe someone would be that petty over him missing a date to see his own daughter.

"Don't get involved with it Rose, it's not worth going into, I try to forget about it or I won't get to see her at all and it's only until her next birthday which I am not going to miss. It was part of the reason I had my operation so I could see her turn sixteen. I missed out on a lot of her life with working or fighting her mother but it doesn't mean I want to give up on her but never mind me, I can't imagine what it was like for you growing up with father at all." He looked at her and she went quiet. "I'm sorry Rose, I didn't mean anything. You've got a step-father who loves you now, he may not have told me much about you but I know how proud he was to tell me he had adopted you when he thought being a father was out of the question for him."

He got up and held her chair back for her and took her in his arms. He could tell she was upset and wished he'd not opened his big mouth. He could see now why he always scared women off so easily. Rose held onto him. He was right, she had Pete now and that had kind of made up for it but it wasn't the fact Alec had brought up the subject, it was the thought she had gone back in time and spent those extra hours with him that had been stolen from her. She kissed his cheek. "It's ok Alec. Let's put some music on, I want to dance with you again."

They danced for a while, which led to other things and Alec ended up staying the night again and Rose was not disappointed as he turned out the bedside lamp and began to pull his shorts down, being gentle with her at first as he moved his hand on her thighs, working his fingers inwards then watching her as she melted to his touch. It had been a long time since he has given pleasure to a woman, even his wife had turned sour in the end, finding excuses to get it over with as quickly as possible and now Rose was wanting him to take all night. When he had found a woman he wanted to take to bed, he'd done so out of desperation of his needs but Rose was more than just doing it out of desperation, she was needy, yes but she was young, so full of energy and he really didn't know why she had chosen him. As he thrust into her repeatedly and she called his name, he forgot to question her motives for choosing him and thanked everything he could think of that she had done.

When he moved away from her, she thought there was something wrong but he pulled her with him so she was laid on him and they continued, he had just wanted to give her even more pleasure. When they finally stopped, Rose was the one to move onto her back, panting heavily as Alec lay on his side, kissing her breasts and moving his hand between her legs. This time she told him she was going to the bathroom so he wouldn't think that was his sign to leave and soon returned and draped herself over him again.

"Rose, you don't have to prevent me from leaving, I'm not going anywhere," he said, stroking her cheek and her hair as she lay across him.

Rose murmured back sleepily that she knew but she just liked to go to sleep like that so she would feel him under her when she woke up. Alec had to smile to himself that this had all happened so easily and she was settling down on him to sleep. He wondered why this was but thought it must be deep rooted in her, like she was afraid he would disappear on her and that was exactly it, she had lost one man she had loved and wasn't about to lose another she was getting close to.

The next morning, she was awake early but felt Alec move under her, like he was waiting for her to wake up so he could move. "Hi, sleepy," he whispered. "I have to go to work unlike someone who can get up and work when she feels like it." Rose had told him she worked at home for her step father, telling him she did public relations and his public appearances and such likes. Not very far from the truth, she was used to covering things up for Torchwood. Rose moved slightly to allow him to slip for under her and he leaned down to kiss her. "I have to go back to my hotel and get ready for work. Explaining these bites and scratches is going to be bad enough without going in my jeans and casual shirt," he said as he kissed her again.

"Shall I fix you some breakfast Alec, before you go?" she asked as she sneaked another kiss by grabbing his arm. He shook his head and started kissing her breasts. "So, do you want to meet for lunch?" He nodded and continued what he was doing. "Do you want to come round for dinner tonight, I'll make you something nice and if you're very good, you might get desert?" He looked up and smiled.

"OK, how can I turn that down but don't you meet Miller for lunch? You did last Monday." Rose shook her head.

"Not every Monday but she can tag along if you're not sure about being seeing seen around town with me," she teased.

"I'd rather meet you alone and I told you, I don't mind being seen with you. Dinner sounds great, I finish at five so I can come round for seven or earlier if you like. Now you, Miss Tyler are going to make me late for work."

He kissed her again and she watched him getting dressed, admiring his physique, tall, very slim but well toned and most of all his length, no wonder she had found herself wanting more of him and he didn't try to hide while he was putting on his shorts, in fact Rose suspected he was showing himself off to her, not that he really needed to but she was enjoying it and soon got out of bed to prove she wasn't afraid to show herself off to him as she took her time putting her robe on. It was proving very distracting to Alec while he was trying to fasten his shirt buttons, having to do them again when he buttoned them the wrong way while he was staring at her.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

It was seven thirty, Alec was just giving Rose a goodbye kissing saying he would see her at lunch when she received an alert message on her mobile. Alec was about to open the door to leave when she stopped him, looked at her phone and followed a link in the message. She explained to Alec it was an alert she has set up if her name was mentioned anywhere and although she had agreed for her photo being taken on Saturday night and she half expected to see it in the next edition of the Broadchurch Echo, she was not prepared for what appeared on the newspaper's website at the top of the page in bold lettering above a photo of her and one of her and Alec 'dancing' when he had been touching her and had got so close to kissing her at the dance the other night.

_**Rose Tyler (pictured above) and the 'dancing' detective**_  
_**Miss Rose Tyler (The Vitex Heiress) was seen at the local school dance on Saturday night with a new man.**_  
_**Miss Tyler has lived in the town for two years and the detective in question - Alec Hardy is a new arrival but they didn't waste any time getting to know each other well on Saturday night as the two of them 'danced' closely.**_  
_**Has Miss Tyler got herself a new man?**_

Rose did not need to read any more. She knew it was only the local paper but it was online, anyone in the country could read it, including her mother and her step father plus the entire town including Ellie and was surprised her phone wasn't already ringing. She looked at Alec as he handed back her phone. He knew the reason why she hadn't wanted him in the first photo but whoever had taken this had breached their privacy and he was not happy. Well not at first he wasn't but it meant that people knew about them now and the original reason she had wanted him out of the first photo was because she wasn't sure which direction their relationship was going to take but it was pretty much established that it was progressing nicely so now he didn't care if his name appeared alongside hers. He was concerned about Rose though, what it would do to her but it wasn't like he was a nobody, he was a detective inspector, respectable and divorced so no juicy dirt to dig up about his past and no jealous ex wife.

Rose looked at him. "If I say I'm going to murder the little rat who printed this are you going to arrest me?" she asked. Alec smiled. "I'm going to call his editor and if this article isn't removed then I really am going to murder Olly Stevens. That's if Ellie doesn't get to him first" Alec looked at her as if to ask what Miller had to do with it and Rose explained he was her nephew.

"Rose, I'm sorry, why don't I call his editor and get it removed? It would be better coming from me. I have to walk into the office and face everyone this morning. What's the number of the paper?" He took her phone again and put the newspaper office number into his phone.

Rose finished getting dressed and prepared for her phone to start ringing while Alec dialled the newspaper office but got no reply.

"Olly must have done he article from home. I'll call when the office is open and speak to Maggie, the editor, I can deal with it Alec, I'm used to this." She stepped closer to him and put her arms around his neck and reached up to kiss him. "I'll get it taken off the website but hope I'm in time to stop it going to print. I'll meet you at lunchtime and let you know and if they say anything at the Police Station, just go with it and brag how you managed to snatch yourself Rose Tyler."

"I really have to go Rose, I'm sorry I have to leave like this. Hopefully not to many people will have read the paper online. I'll do more than brag, I've got the scars to prove it, there are not going to cover up easily." He pointed to his neck, kissed her again and left.

Rose waited for the phone calls and didn't have to wait long before Ellie rang her. "Oh, Rose, I'm sorry, when I get hold of that nephew of mine I'll skin him alive. I take it you didn't know he had taken the photo?" Rose said she didn't know. "You were getting pretty cosy with him you know, is there some truth to this?"

Rose could feel herself blushing but didn't want to admit to anything but she couldn't deny they had been cosy. Ellie rang off and Rose tried the newspaper office again, getting through but being told the editor wasn't available until she gave her name.

Maggie, the editor was surprised when Rose told her that Olly had taken the photo without either of their knowledge and could only apologise. She had assumed because Rose was on one that he had taken them both at the same time and he had done the article at home, emailed it to her and she had approved it but didn't know that he didn't have their permission and promised to get him to remove the photo but keep the article.

Rose had to agree, the article itself was not all that harmful, just other stuff about herself and no other mention of Alec except he was new in town and was the new detective inspector and while she was on the phone looking at the website on her laptop, the photo was removed. Getting it out of the printed version though was going to be more difficult since the paper had been sent to print and Maggie promised she would do her best to get it taken out before it was too late and promised to call Rose when she had succeeded. Rose told her to just send a message as she wasn't going to be answering her phone to unknown numbers then realised she didn't have Alec's. She called Ellie again and asked for Alec's number and Ellie passed the phone to him. She told him what Maggie had said and he was slightly relieved and said it hadn't been so bad and people seemed to be lightening up to him.

He said he had been called into his bosses' office and asked about it but since it was innocent and he was divorced, there really wasn't anything to reprimand him for. It still didn't please him though. What if they hadn't got together and it had been printed? How would they both have felt about it? Was this the kind of life she led, always in the headlines?

Rose was relieved to get a message saying the photo had not been printed but a very sharp Jackie Tyler had seen it and wasn't pleased Rose had kept the fact she was seeing someone from her when she had mentioned to Pete she'd had a date. Alec met Rose for lunch, minus Ellie and they got a few stares but were mostly left alone. He turned up for dinner with a big bunch of flowers and some chocolates and gave her a big kiss when she let him in.

He decided to come clean and reveal all about his meeting with Peter Tyler all those years ago and soon gathered Rose already knew about it and she revealed she was also part of Torchwood. They talked for hours about it, Rose even told him of how she had got here the first time then went back and Alec listened because he knew she couldn't be making it up after Pete Tyler had explained to him exactly where the Cybermen had gone, across the 'void' into a parallel world to this one.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

"That's where you're from isn't it Rose? You came from that parallel world the first time then came back when your world was invaded. Your step father made me swear I wouldn't tell anyone else, not even my superiors knew, he only told them the Cybermen went into the void and vanished but he told me everything, well except where his new wife and step daughter had come from but I'm not stupid Rose, I can work it out. Tell me what happened."

So she did, she told him everything and for the first time since she had arrived here, she felt relieved someone else knew besides a few in Torchwood and her family. They made love again that night and Alec got even more marks, she didn't have to hide her past any more. They went out to dinner the following night, Alec went to get his things for the next morning and Rose suggested he brought enough for a few days until they were sure about each other but by the following weekend, he had moved out of the hotel and in with Rose. She got a lecture from Ellie about it but Ellie had to agree her boss was no longer a grump and it made Rose happy so who was she to argue?

They finally went to London for Alec to meet her mother, who was on her best behaviour for a change and Pete was pleased to see Alec again and remarked it had been a real coincidence he had met Rose. By Christmas, Alec had contacted his daughter finally and the couple planned to make their way up to Glasgow by train because it was too long a journey by car as Rose found out she was six weeks pregnant just as Alec had booked them into a hotel in Glasgow and they had talked about inviting Daisy to come down and stay with them to see how they all got on with the hope she might decide to come and live with them once she turn sixteen. Alec doted on his partner and wouldn't let her do anything while he was around and Rose was feeling a little smothered when he was at home but she knew he had missed out when his daughter was growing up so she knew she couldn't deny him anything, he was going to make a great new dad.

A week before they were due to go up to Glasgow, Alec drove them down to Torquay for the weekend to celebrate being together six months although it was cold and there was a chance of snow, he didn't care. He had booked a room overlooking the seafront, taking Friday afternoon off and on the Saturday afternoon, he took Rose onto the beach, well wrapped up although it was slightly warmer than the rest of the country and he spelled out her name with pebbles on the sand. Rose couldn't bend down enough to do the same so she used a long stick Alec found for her and while she was writing his name in the sand, Alec was putting the finishing touches to what he was doing and when Rose wondered what was taking him so long, he came up behind her and watched her finish writing 'Rose loves Alec forever' with a heart at the bottom, then he steered her to where he had been writing and told her to close her eyes.

When she opened them, he had written 'Rose Tyler, will you marry me?' under their names made out of the pebbles. Rose threw her arms around him and said 'yes' without reservation and he produced a diamond ring.

"How long have you been planning this?" said a stunned Rose, admiring her new engagement ring in the afternoon sunshine.

"Oh, for a while actually, before you told me you were pregnant, I was waiting for the right time and now you are going to meet my daughter and hopefully, if he'll speak to me, my father, I wanted to introduce you as my fiancé rather than just my girlfriend or partner. Is that ok?" he asked hopefully, holding her hand.

"That's perfect and I'm sure I'll love your daughter as much as you do. I'm a bit nervous though, that she won't like me or think that I'm trying to take her mother's place."

"Oh, she's more grown up than that, she doesn't blame me any more for what happened, not since her mother accidentally blurted out she was the one who was seeing someone else, it all came out at a funeral, that's where all the family secrets rear their ugly heads. Now Daisy knows the truth, I think her mother will have her hands full trying to keep her away from us."

They walked along the beach until Rose said she was feeling the cold then they went back to the hotel to break the news to her mother and her step father, who gave them their blessing and Jackie was immediately taking charge of their wedding plans although Alec wasn't so keen, he wanted just a quiet wedding but Rose said there was fat chance of that. They decided on a spring wedding at the Tyler residence so they had chance to get used to being engaged and when they got back to Broadchurch, announced their engagement to the local paper but soon found out it had spread across the country and Alec had to get used to being in the limelight.

The journey to Glasgow was quiet and they checked into their hotel on the 23rd and Alec had a hire car booked and they had arranged to meet Daisy in a local coffee shop and she and Rose soon hit it off, talking about the baby mostly, Daisy wanted to know what they wanted and if Rose had been for a scan yet. Rose was due to go after the New Year but wasn't going to be told what she was having and Alec had agreed they would wait until the baby was born. Alec wanted to book an extra Christmas dinner at the hotel for Daisy although her mother wasn't keen so they arranged to meet on Boxing Day instead. Alec had planned to ask his daughter about visiting but waited until they were all together, having spent Christmas Day talking to her on the phone and finding out what had been going on as she didn't want to talk while they were out.

Rose was resting before Christmas dinner, she was showing now and while not so much tired, her feet ached a lot, Alec was always massaging them when he could. He had missed out so much when the preparations for his daughter's arrival were being made and had resented being left out but Rose was more than making up for it, he would do anything for her and pampered her like crazy and loved every minute of it. When they met with Daisy again, exchanging presents, she had bought something for the baby and asked nervously if she would be allowed to go to their wedding. Alec immediately said yes, he would make all the arrangements for her to get to London and it was just after her birthday anyway so she could travel on her own. Just as he was about to take her home, Rose reminded him of what they had to ask her.

"Go on, ask her," Rose nudged him. Alec looked at his daughter awkwardly.

"Right then. Daisy, Rose and I have talked about this and when your sixteen, after our wedding, we'd like you to come and stay with us for a while and if you like it, to come and live with us. We can move to a bigger house, you can get a job in the area and you'll be around when the baby comes. What do you think?" Rose was holding onto him, smiling and hoping she would say yes.

She did, after coming up with excuses like there wouldn't be room for her and they would have enough with the baby but Rose went up to her and put her arm around her and said she would like nothing better for them to include her in their family. The poor girl started crying, which set Rose off as they all hugged, Alec trying to hold a tear back for want of not being seen but Rose saw his face. After he had taken her home and he was back at the hotel, they both hung onto each other and he just whispered, "Thank you Rose, for giving me another chance to be a father."

They left Glasgow, making their way to London to join the Tyler's for the New Year celebrations. Jackie couldn't believe how big Rose had got, she was only three months and put it down to her just being happy. The wedding plans were gone over and when Rose said Alec's daughter was coming down for it, they included her as a bridesmaid and when they called her to tell her she was overjoyed and asked when she came for the wedding if she could stay down there. So the arrangements were made for her to stay with Jackie and Pete until they got back from their honeymoon.

When they got back to Broadchurch and Rose went for her scan, they discovered the reason why she was so big, she was having twins. Alec was over the moon, he couldn't believe his luck, from having very little contact with his daughter to having two more and having her join them. They started looking for a bigger house, Pete insisting he helped them with the financing, so they were able to look at neighbouring villages and found a nice four bedroom house ten minutes away from Alec's work.

The wedding soon came around, everything was running smoothly, Rose was now just over six months and said the journey to London was hell but worth it. Daisy was met at the railway station by Alec, Rose was resting before the wedding and the Tyler house was in chaos with Tony making a new friend in Daisy and running circles around her and Alec the day before when Jackie was adding the final touches to the marquee in the garden. Alec was forced to spend the night before traditional apart from Rose and thought about sneaking in to see her but thought his future mother-in-law would be watching him like a hawk and decided against it. Instead, they had spent time in one of the smaller sitting rooms just lying on the sofa talking and making more plans.

Just a year after they had met, Rose had twins, a boy and a girl, Daisy was living with them and enrolled in the local college where she studied hard, wanting to join her father in the Police force. Alec was promoted, suspecting his father-in-law had something to do with it and Ellie got promoted at last to DI which was why Rose thought she had been against Alec when he had first arrived. All in all, one meeting and one bet by Ellie led to Rose now enjoying family life with a husband, teenage step-daughter and two children of her own. She had always hoped she would get back to her own world but this was her world now and the other one was more like a dream, a far off place she had spent twenty years exploring, her family was here, her friends were here and most importantly, the love of her life was here – Alec Hardy.

The End!


End file.
